


Are You Sure About This?

by BatmanWhoLaughss



Series: Kanera Prompts [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: A New Dawn - John Jackson Miller, Star Wars: Rebellion Era - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Enthusiastic Consent, F/M, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Insecurity, My First Smut, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Post-Star Wars: A New Dawn, Pre-Star Wars: Rebels, Romantic Fluff, Shameless Smut, Smut, slightly inappropriate use of the force
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:20:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25864237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BatmanWhoLaughss/pseuds/BatmanWhoLaughss
Summary: Tumblr prompt fromthis list#44: Things you said before you kissed me---Hera is nervous, when she decides to cross that line with him. Kanan is smitten, and he just wants to make her happy.Or: the first time fic that no one asked for.
Relationships: Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla
Series: Kanera Prompts [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1845700
Comments: 30
Kudos: 103





	Are You Sure About This?

**Author's Note:**

> So this is based on a take I saw on twitter- that Kanan and Hera's first time was probably pretty hesitant/awkward. which made a lot of sense to me, since Kanan slept around a lot before he met Hera and she was so young when they met that she was very likely a virgin. And she's a twi-lek, so she knows how twi-leks and sex are treated, so she was probably nervous to sleep with kanan for the first time. Plus, we never really get to see hera be vulnerable/insecure in canon so i like the idea of exploring her insecurity in one aspect of her life. And enthusiastic consent
> 
> AND: This is my first E-rated smut fic so this was a VERY fun writing experiment to try with my favorite couple. I really do hope you like it and feedback is VERY much appreciated. Thank you to HunterByDayWhovianByNight for forcing me to write it.
> 
> Set about 2.5 years post-Gorse

The first time Hera kisses him, neither of them say anything.

They’re coming out of hyperspace after a pretty lucrative, if high-stress job. The adrenaline hasn’t worn off yet; Kanan is tense all over, the thrill of dodging blaster bolts and punching stormtroopers still keeping him coiled like a spring. They’re unloading the cargo in the hold as Chopper flies, and one look at Hera confirms that she’s just as keyed up as he is. 

They’re moving a particularly heavy crate that takes both of them to lift, when they feel the ship jerk as they come out of hyperspace. It’s a little more violent than usual, so much so that Hera stumbles, dropping the crate. Kanan drops his end, moving to steady her so she doesn’t fall, but the crate comes down on the wrong side of his feet and he winds up stumbling too. They go down together, Kanan pulling her on top of him as they hit the deck so she doesn’t fall on the metal floor. 

He’s just about to ask if she’s okay, his hands coming up to frame her sides and check for injuries, when she stops him in his tracks. 

There’s a look in her eyes like steel, like a white-hot burning fire that’s fully focused on his face. He’s abruptly aware of just how _close_ they are in this position, and he’s suddenly impossibly still, not wanting to do anything to break the moment. Both of them are frozen solid, breathing hard from the fall, until Hera leans slowly down and presses her lips against his. 

It’s soft, and it lasts barely a moment, but Kanan stops breathing. His brain is buzzing with a thousand questions, because as much as he wants this, and as close as they’ve gotten recently, she’s been abundantly clear that this can’t happen ever since he stepped onto her ship. His mind is still racing as his hands come to rest on her hips and his eyes flutter closed. 

When she pulls away, the fire in her eyes is still there, but there’s a flicker of fear and uncertainty too, and he moves his hands back down to his sides when he notices. He stays still, staring up at her with a small smile on his face, hoping she knows he won’t push her for more than what she’s ready to offer. 

Hera’s smile mirrors his, but he feels the shiver that runs through her as she reaches down to grab his hand. Their faces are still impossibly close, and he raises an eyebrow in a silent question. _Are you sure about this?_ She’s quiet for another moment before the fear in her eyes melts away. 

The second time Hera kisses him, he brings his hands back up to her hips, still a feather-light touch that gives her room to pull away if she wants to. Her lips are warm against his, hesitant at first as she presses tiny kisses against his mouth. He’s silently following her lead, letting her set the pace as she starts getting bolder. Her mouth opens and she meets his tongue with her own. She’s still hesitating, and he can feel the nerves that hang on the edge of her awareness. So, he keeps things slow, running his hands up and down her sides in a motion that he hopes is reassuring. 

She tastes like the meiloorun juice she drank when they got back. But it’s _more,_ it’s everything, it’s starlight and summer and the best sunfruit liquor in the galaxy. It’s sunsets on Alderaan and sapphire water on Naboo and sparkling kyber crystals on Ilum. She tastes _right_ , like home and safety and supposed to be, like the thrill of fighting and flying and everything Kanan’s ever loved. 

Bit by bit, Hera’s mouth becomes more insistent and his arms wind around her back. He can still feel the fringes of nerves permeating the Force around them, but gradually they fade away as their lips keep exploring. A few minutes later, Hera pulls away again, and Kanan’s still asking her silent questions with his eyes– _are you okay, should we stop, what do you need from me, are you_ absolutely _sure about this?_ But there’s a sparkle in her eyes that he absolutely _loves_ , and she’s smiling wider than ever as she nods an unmistakable _yes, I’m better than okay._

The third time Hera kisses him, it’s new and beautiful and dangerous, and Kanan is just along for the ride.

* * *

The twenty-fifth time Hera kisses him, Kanan can tell something is bothering her. 

It’s been a long few months since they kissed in the cargo hold. Fulcrum has been keeping them so busy that they barely have time to breathe, and Kanan is starting to get whiplash. 

They’ve managed to sneak in a few minutes to themselves, every now and then. Hera liked to ambush him when he wasn’t ready for it, in the beginning. She would push him up against a wall or wrap her arms around him from behind before kissing him breathless, and he was perfectly happy with that. He’s happy to let her set the pace, still mindful of the hesitation he felt from her in the cargo bay. So he hasn’t pushed her, not once, letting her come to him instead. 

Lately though, he can feel her pulling back. There’s a tension radiating from her that he really doesn’t like, and he’s determined to get to the bottom of it.

They’re in hyperspace, on a long flight to an Outer Rim planet where they can bunk down for a few days and refuel. Hera is in the common room making caf. Kanan ambles in, intent on getting a cup for himself, and maybe getting Hera to talk before she shuts down completely. 

She smiles when he walks in and wraps an arm around her waist as they wait for the caf to finish brewing. She turns, pressing her lips to his lightly and winding her arms around his neck. For a few minutes it’s nice, blissful even, but it isn’t long before he feels the faint prickle of anxiety permeating her aura in the Force.

“Hera…” He pulls back, brow furrowing as his arms come around her. “What’s going on?” He’s got a hand on her lower back–meant to soothe rather than excite, but there’s apprehension in her eyes.

He feels her tense. “What do you mean?” There’s a hitch in her voice, one he only notices because he knows her so well.

“Something’s bothering you,” he says, keeping his voice light. 

Hera glances down at the floor, her bottom lip between her teeth. There’s something like embarrassment in her eyes as she sighs. “It’s stupid,” she mumbles.

His frown deepens, and he tilts her chin up to make her look at him. “If it’s upsetting you, it’s not stupid.” 

She’s silent for another few moments, just staring at him with a mix of emotions on her face that he doesn’t quite know how to decipher. 

When she still doesn’t speak, he bumps her nose with his. “Hey,” he says, his voice even softer. “This doesn’t work if you don’t talk to me.” Then he pulls back, unwinding his arms from around her and grabbing her hands in his. She’s still frowning. “What’s up?”

Finally she shrugs, looking down at the floor again. That peculiar embarrassment was back on her face. “I–I don’t know how to do this.” She lets out a nervous laugh as she gestures between them. “Any of this.” 

“Neither do I.” It’s the truth; he’s never been in a relationship that lasted longer than three weeks, let alone almost two and a half years.

“No, I–” She groans. 

“Hera.” Kanan puts a hand on her shoulder. “Tell me what’s wrong.” The glimmer of emotion in her eyes looks an awful lot like insecurity. It feels so _wrong_ coming from Hera; he’s never seen her insecure about _anything_ , not once in their partnership. It’s starting to scare him. 

She sighs again, guiding him to the small dejarik table. Kanan turns to face her as they sit down, twining their fingers together and squeezing her hand. The caf machine is beeping, but neither of them pay any mind to it.

“I spent my life fighting–with my father on Ryloth, then on my own. I always had to be the tough guy, you know? Never letting my guard down.” It isn’t where he expects her to start, but he stays silent. “Then you came along. Before I met you… There isn’t exactly time for anything romantic when you’re fighting a war.”

 _Ah._ “So when you say you don’t know how to do this…” 

She laughs. “Yeah. I–You’re the first real relationship I’ve ever had.” 

Kanan nods. “Alright. That doesn’t bother me.” Truthfully, it doesn’t. He would follow Hera anywhere; he doubts there’s _anything_ she could say that would drive him away. “Is that it?”

“Not entirely.” She grimaces, letting go of his hand and rubbing her arm nervously. “I guess–I guess I don’t want to disappoint you?” She says it like it’s a question, like she’s unsure. Kanan blinks for a moment in utter confusion, because how can she _possibly_ think he’s anything but awed by her?

She cringes, mistaking his confusion for derision. “I told you it was stupid,” she mumbles. 

He snaps out of it, shaking his head emphatically. “It’s not. Not if it’s bothering you like this.” He reaches for her hand again, rubbing his thumb across the back of it. Then he laughs. “But _stars_ , Hera, you could never disappoint me. Ever.”

She blinks at him, and he laughs again. “You’re amazing. You’re lightyears out of my league and you know it. I was a damned drunken _mess_ when you found me, and sometimes I think I don’t even deserve to stand _near_ you.”

That makes her laugh, and he smiles when he hears it. He’s always liked making her laugh. 

Then she bites her lip, her brow furrowing like she’s trying to figure out what to say next. When she meets his eyes, the insecurity is still there, but there’s a hint of determination too. “I like you, Kanan. And… and I _want_ you, I want to take this further.” 

There’s a part of his brain that stutters immediately, his imagination running wild and turning the phrase _I want you_ over and over in his head. But she still looks nervous, so he clamps down _hard_ on his instincts and instead says, “Okay. I like you too. And I want that too.” His voice is still quiet.

Hera smiles briefly before her face falls again. “I know you’ve had a lot of– _heh_ – _experience_ before. And I guess… I don’t want you to think sleeping with me doesn’t measure up.” She cringes again. “That sounded better in my head,” she laughs. “And there’s so many awful rumors about Twi-leks, you know? Everyone treats us differently once sex comes into the mix. It makes me… on edge about the whole thing.” 

And suddenly everything clicks into place. They talked about it a couple weeks ago. She asked nonchalantly about his past relationships, and he was a little drunk on Correllian ale, so he gave her a little more detail than he otherwise would have. And of course he knows what the galaxy thinks of Twi-leks and sex; he’s spent enough time in the Outer Rim to grow sick of those rumors. He should have realized that this might be a sore subject for her. But… Hera, worried about not _measuring up?_ He almost laughs outright. She could probably replace a power coupling fully clothed and get him off. 

Hera’s looking at the floor again, her eyes shining. He can feel the embarrassment radiating from her now, the insecurity and shame forming a cocktail that he is very much _not_ used to seeing on her. He wants to wipe it away, eradicate it entirely. He’s still staring at her with wide eyes and an open mouth, so he hurriedly starts talking. 

“That’s… Hera, you _know_ I don’t care about that. It’s not just about getting off for me. If that was all I cared about, we’ve spent time in plenty of dive bars.” He’s joking, trying to make her laugh and take that look off her face. And it works; she chuckles quietly before glancing up at him. 

“Hera, look,” Kanan’s suddenly nervous; he’s never been good at talking about his feelings, not since he was a child at the Temple, but he needs her to understand. “I’m _crazy_ about you. I’ve always been crazy about you. There’s _nothing_ you could do, in the bedroom or out of it, that would disappoint me. And I don’t care what the rest of the galaxy says about Twi-leks –I like _you_. And nothing’s going to change that. Okay?” 

She blushes, flushing a darker green as she smiles. She nods slightly as he squeezes her hand, then brings it up to press his lips against the back of it. 

“Hera.” He needs her to say it out loud, because it _hurts him_ , knowing that she’s insecure like this. If she wants to do this, _when_ she wants to do this, he doesn’t want her to have any doubts. “You speak Basic?”

That earns him a real laugh. “On occasion.” 

Kanan leans forward, kissing her softly before leaning his forehead against hers. “Do you trust me?” 

Hera nods. “With my life.” 

“Good. Then trust me. I don’t want anything from you that you don’t want to give. You’re in control here–we go at your pace. You’re the Captain, right?”

She smiles. “And _you_ are supposed to be working. You’re crew after all, aren’t you?” The sparkle in her green eyes is back. She’s joking, using that light, flirty tone that he really loves, and he chuckles along with her. 

“ _There_ she is.” He pecks her lips again. “Look, I don’t have any expectations here. You let me know what you want and when. You want to take things further, that’s fine, and if you don’t, that’s fine too. I’d follow you anywhere, anytime, Syndulla.” 

Her smile grows, before she nods again. Then it turns into a smirk that he knows precedes something dangerous. “Kiss me again?” 

Kanan practically _beams_. “You got it, Captain.” 

The third time Kanan kisses Hera, it’s slow, languid, and relaxed, and he thinks it might be something close to magic.

* * *

The thirtieth time Hera kisses him, she tells him she wants him again, and his brain stops working.

They’re in the cockpit, and Hera’s sitting on Kanan’s lap in the copilot’s chair. She’s got her fingers in his hair, running her hands through the loose strands, and he’s pressing soft kisses against the bottom of her jaw. He moves down her neck to find her pulse point as his hands roam across her back. Then Hera drags his face back up to her mouth, murmuring the words against his lips before kissing him breathless again. 

It takes him a minute to process what she said. When he does, he freezes, his train of thought stopping dead in its tracks as he pulls back to look her in the eye. Her eyes are bright and open as they meet his, and he drags a hand up to cup her face as he searches for a shred of hesitation in them. It’s been two weeks since their conversation in the common room, and truthfully, he didn’t expect this to happen so quickly. 

His brow furrows. “You’re serious?”

Hera nods, moving to kiss him again as she arches her back. He bites back a groan as her hips brush against him, but he pulls back. He has to be sure this is what she wants. 

“Hera, hey,” he says, his brow furrowed. “You don’t have to do this to–” To what? _Impress me? Satisfy me? Keep me around?_ “Look, if we do this, I want you to be absolutely sure it’s what you want. I’m fine with waiting.” 

She bites her lip for a moment, like she’s thinking, before smirking at him. That bright, hopeful look is still in her eyes. “I’m sure, Kanan. I want you,” she says, her voice pitched low. 

It hits him like a punch in the gut. A shiver runs straight down his spine, settling deep in his core, and he swallows thickly as he nods up at her. Suddenly he’s nervous, in a way he hasn’t been in a _long_ time, because even though he’s done this before, too many times to count, this is _Hera_ , and he knows she deserves more than he can ever give her. A thousand thoughts are running through his head as he sets her on her feet, but chiefest among them is that he wants this to be _good_ for her, wants to give her everything. For all her anxiety about not measuring up to his years of drunken debauchery, Kanan’s suddenly terrified that _she’s_ going to be disappointed with _him._

He leads her by the hand out of the cockpit, his heart pounding as they make their way to Hera’s bunk. They stop at his briefly, where he grabs a condom from the drawer under his bed. Hera arches an eyebrow at him, and he flushes pink. “I–I grabbed some when we were at that spaceport a week or so ago. I just figured–I wanted to be prepared, ya know? Just in case.” He flushes darker, if possible, and rubs at the back of his neck. Hera just laughs, rolling her eyes and pulling him into her cabin across the hall.

She has him pressed up against the door the minute it shuts behind them, her lips on his and her hands untucking his shirt from his pants. She’s insistent, her mouth moving to his jaw and her hands roaming under his shirt to find his bare skin. An image of Hera spread out underneath him bubbles to the forefront of his mind as he feels a hard wave of _want_ settle low in the pit of his stomach. But there’s a slight tremor in her right hand, and as badly as he wants her, he doesn’t want to rush this. 

“Hera, wait,” he mumbles, breaking the kiss. She blinks at him, confusion written all over her face. 

Before he can say anything, she blurts out, “Do you not wanna do this?” 

Kanan barks out a laugh. “Force, Hera, I want you so badly it hurts, but I don’t wanna rush this.” He reaches down to grab her hand, leading her to the bunk on the other end of the room. 

They sit down next to each other, their knees touching, and he stares at her for another beat before leaning to claim her lips again. 

Kissing, they’re good at. It took some work at first, to figure out just what Hera liked. To find those spots that made her gasp against his lips and tighten her arms around him. But he’s good at following her lead, and Hera’s always been a quick learner; it didn’t take them long to find a rhythm that worked for both of them. And she always did know just how to drive him crazy. 

Her hands are reaching under his shirt and his mouth is against her neck when he speaks again. “You say the word and we stop, okay?”

“You act like I don’t want this.”

“You’re nervous,” he says, kissing his way back up her jaw.

“No.” There’s a hitch in her voice as she says it, and he smirks.

“I can feel it, Hera. And you’re shaking a little.” 

Hera frowns, like she’s thinking. “I’m… excited. Maybe a little nervous. But the good kind.” The kind that’s hopeful for what’s coming next. Force _,_ that kicks _his_ nerves into overdrive, and his lips suddenly falter in their movements. 

Kanan pulls back to look her in the eye. “Good.” He has no idea how he keeps his voice steady, because there’s a look in Hera’s eyes that he’s _never_ seen before, and the anticipation is making _him_ tremble. “Just be honest with me. Tell me what you like and what you don’t like. And... I’ve never been with a Twi-lek, so you’re going to have to tell me if I do something wrong, kay?”

Hera nods, her eyes sparkling. “Just get over here,” she says, and tugs his shirt over his head.

“Yes, ma’am.”

He goes where he’s led, trying to ignore the way his hands are shaking as they wrap around her again. It’s like everything is amplified as he kisses her, turned up to a thousand as her hands roam across his bare chest. It’s not the first time she’s touched his skin; she’s had to patch him up after a mission gone bad more times than he’d like to remember. But it’s different now. Her hands are wandering, exploring his body the way he’s only ever dreamed about, and he feels like a blushing virgin all over again.

His hands are starting to wander too, running up and down her back clumsily before he gets the nerve to bring them back around to her front. He’s rubbing circles into her sides as her tongue meets his, and when his thumbs brush the underside of her breasts over her chestplate she gasps. It sounds like a good gasp, so he moves his hands higher, until he’s cupping her chest with a feather-light touch. 

“Still doing okay, Captain?” He whispers the words against her mouth. She chuckles softly, nodding as she grabs his wrists. He freezes, thinking he did something wrong, when she guides his hands to the fastenings of her armor. _Oh, kriff,_ he thinks. _This is really happening._

Anyone would think he was a teenager again if they saw how his hands fumble as he undoes the straps. It feels like it takes ages; Kanan’s heart leaps to his throat as her armor finally falls away, and he moves back to her chest with shaky hands.

He’s still being careful, watching her for any sign that she’s not okay with this, but there’s a part of his brain that’s been chanting a steady _oh kriff, oh kriff, oh FUCK_ this entire time. It’s the part of him that constantly thinks he doesn’t deserve her, and right now it’s driving him crazy with worry that he’ll accidentally screw this up and push her away. There’s another part of him that’s been letting out a low, constant mental _squeal_ , because he’s been dreaming about this almost since the day they met and now it’s finally happening. And the third part of him, the one that’s totally focused on making sure this is everything Hera hoped for and more, lights up as she gasps again. 

Hera twitches, letting out a breathy moan as he lightly brushes his thumbs across her breasts. Kanan kisses her jaw as he does it again, and he thinks the noise she makes will be burned into his memory forever. She’s _so_ responsive, letting out little keening noises as his mouth finds her pulse point, sucking a tiny mark there. His fingers fumble with the buttons of her shirt for what feels like hours before he finally gets them open. 

Then he’s seeing parts of her he never has before, and the real thing blows even his wildest fantasies out of the water. She slips the shirt down her shoulders as he starts working the buckles of her flight pants open, and he really hopes that his fingers aren’t shaking as much as he thinks they are. Hera drags her nails down his chest, just hard enough without being painful, and he can’t help but let out a low groan as she does. She notices, and smirks at him. “Good?” 

“Uh–huh,” he gulps, his voice coming out slightly higher than he means it to. Hera notices too, before bending down to press her lips and then her _teeth_ against his collarbone. He hisses, tensing all over, when she does, working at the buckles and straps even faster. 

Her fingers are undoing his belt now, so sure where before they’d been so shaky, and he’s _achingly_ hard, desperate to bury himself inside her again and again until he forgets his own name. But he’s still determined to take his time, to love her the way she deserves to be loved, so he pushes his own urges to the back of his mind. 

There’s some awkward maneuvering as they both remove their pants. Kanan’s arms move to help get his belt undone and wind up trapping hers instead, and they’re both nervous-laughing as they separate for a moment. He’s transfixed, watching Hera shimmy her bright orange pants down her legs, kicking her boots off for good measure. This is more of her skin than he’s ever seen, and he feels a jolt down below as his cock twitches. She’s dressed in black basics that are meant to be functional rather than sexy, but watching her walk towards him again has to be the hottest thing Kanan has seen in his entire life. He hurries to get his own pants off, cursing as they get caught on his boots and he awkwardly bends over to remove them. 

When he straightens up again, Hera has her eyes on him, and there’s a sultry look buried in the brilliant green that he wants to commit to memory. Suddenly she stops for a moment, only a few inches away from him, and frowns like she’s thinking about something. He wants to reach for her, pull her closer and kiss every inch of her bright green skin, but something tells him to wait. Then she reaches up and pulls her cap down over her lekku, dropping it to the floor as she comes to him again. His throat is suddenly impossibly dry, because he’s _never_ seen Hera without something covering her head, not _once,_ and he knows what a big deal this is. It’s arresting, and his wide eyes are glued to her face. Her lekku are falling over her shoulders in a flirty, relaxed, _come get me_ motion he only recognizes from too many bad holos on lonely nights.

He’s snapped out of his daze by Hera climbing into his lap, straddling his thighs as her fingers weave through his hair again. He lets out a breathy moan when she tentatively rocks her hips against him, his hands coming up to grab her waist. She smirks, like she thinks that’s a good noise, before she does it again, brushing up against the bulge in his shorts more directly. 

“ _Ngh-_ Hera.” It comes out as a strangled groan, and he tries to distract her by sucking a mark into her collarbone that makes her cry out. She’s undaunted, though, grabbing his hair and _tugging_ , so that his face tilts up to hers and she can claim his mouth again. He can’t help but let out a low, needy _whine_ as she does, and the sparkle in her eyes only grows as she chuckles and pulls his hair once more. 

His arms are around her back, pulling her even closer so that every inch of his skin is pressed to hers. He’s getting breathless as she keeps up the sinful grind of her hips against his cock, slow and experimental at first before getting faster and bolder as she keeps going. 

Kanan feels like every nerve is on fire, and everything he knows is breathtaking and bright and beautiful and _Hera._ He feels everything, feels the warmth of her body against him mix with the emotions pouring from her to fill the Force around them and drive him mad. There’s a steady mix of _joy, want, good_ and most of all _trust_ radiating from her, and his own emotions threaten to swallow him whole as it washes over him. 

His lips are still exploring all the new skin available to him as his arms reach upwards. He keeps moving until he reaches the top of her head, slowly resting his hand on the back of one lek. She freezes, and he immediately moves his hand, bringing it down to cup the side of her face instead. 

“Sorry, sorry,” he murmurs. “Too much? We still okay?” 

Hera shakes her head. “No, no it’s good. You’re good,” she says. “It’s just–lekku are really sensitive. Never had someone else touch mine before.” 

He can’t help the small thrill that runs through him at the idea that he’s the _only one_ who’s touched her like this. But he nods. “Tell me how,” he says as he brings his hand back to her lek. It’s a light touch, and he’s looking at her with eager eyes, waiting for her to lead him as always. 

Hera gasps as his hand starts moving in light strokes, running down her lek from root to tip. “That’s– _oh,_ that’s good. Keep doing that,” she says, and he wants to combust right there. He’s always loved Hera’s voice, and hearing her gasp moans of pleasure against his skin is almost enough to finish him. It’s slightly embarrassing; they aren’t even fully naked yet. 

He drags his fingertips down one lek and then the other, then experiments a bit. Down, then back up again after curling the tip around his hand. Hera lets out small sounds as she pulls at his hair. 

“Good?”

“Just go down, not up. Keep it light, like you were doing.”

“10-4, Captain.” 

Kanan brings her mouth to his again, and her lips and tongue are more insistent as he moves his hands back to her lekku. He strokes once, twice, three times, then starts tracing the markings there with a feather-light touch. He’s always been fascinated by them, wanted to know if she had other markings, but he never dared to hope that he’d be able to touch them like this. She’s rocking her hips again, and it’s almost enough to break his concentration. 

Then, he’s struck by a sinful idea, and he leans down to press an open-mouthed kiss against her lek where it’s fallen over her shoulder.

She tightens her grip on his hair, letting out a surprised gasp, and Kanan looks up at her as he pulls away. “Good, or bad?”

She’s almost frantic as she nods a _yes_ at him. “Do that again.” 

His smirk is _wicked_ as he keeps going. He spends what feels like hours like this, exploring Hera’s lekku with his lips, tongue, and fingertips. He’s learning little things about her with every touch–what spots make her moan, which gasps mean _yes, more_ , and which ones mean _too much, too fast_ . He learns that she gets grabby when he does something she likes, which he doesn’t mind _at all_ , and that if she arches her spine _just_ so, she can grind her core against his more insistently. When she does, she lets out the loudest moan yet. 

He brings his hands around to her back when he can’t take it anymore, moving towards the clasp of her bra. He pulls back to look at her as his fingers fumble with it, silently waiting for her permission to take it off. When she gives it with a firm nod, his body practically _sings_ as he frantically tries to unsnap it. He misses the first time, then swears as it finally comes undone, which earns him a breathy laugh that sounds like music. 

Hera shrugs the thin material off and tosses it on the floor, and Kanan can’t help but stare. She’s _gorgeous_ , skin flushed darker green than normal and radiating contentment from every pore. He’s not moving, just gawking slack-jawed at her bare chest until she jokingly snaps her fingers in front of his face. 

Kanan laughs, before his brain restarts and he tries to move them both down onto the bunk. It doesn’t go quite as smoothly as he hopes, and they wind up in a messy, haphazard tangle of limbs on Hera’s bed. There’s an awkward moment while they rearrange themselves, and then Hera’s spread out underneath him with his leg wedged between hers and her breasts pressed against his chest.

“ _Force,_ you’re beautiful,” he mumbles as he kisses his way down her neck, and he can see her blushing as he makes his way towards her breasts. She laughs, a low, breathy one that turns into a moan when he gets his mouth on one of them. Her whole body jerks as he flicks her nipple with his tongue, and the way she breathes his name makes him do it again before moving to her other breast. 

Her fingertips are roaming across his back, but when his mouth finds her other breast she moves one hand lower until it grabs hold of his ass and squeezes. He can’t help the little _yelp_ of surprise that escapes his lips, and she lets go immediately. She has a sheepish look on her face as he glances up; she must have mistaken his surprise for alarm. 

“Sorry,” Hera says, flushing even darker green. 

He surges up to kiss her again, hard and bruising as another wave of _want_ courses through him. “Don’t be–I liked it. You keep surprising me, Syndulla,” he breathes against her lips

She smiles, that soft, relaxed smile that’s rapidly becoming his favorite. Then she surprises him again by reaching for the waistband of his shorts and tugging them down his legs. He helps her get them off, tossing the garment to the side without a second thought as he keeps kissing down her chest and stomach. He kisses down to her navel and back up, before his hands follow the path his mouth took. 

His finger hovers at the waistband of her basics, just barely skimming underneath, and he waits for the go-ahead from Hera before he slips his hand under the black fabric. 

Hera’s warm and wet as his fingers find her core for the first time. He keeps his touch light as he explores her, watching her face for any sign to pull back. But her eyes are closed, her mouth open in a silent _oh_ as her hands fist in the sheets, and she’s so unbearably beautiful like this that he thinks he might come just from watching her. He’s still impossibly hard, rutting against her leg as his hand continues to stroke her center. But as badly as he needs her, he wants to give her this, too, wants to know what it feels like when she comes around his fingers. 

Her moans get louder as he keeps up his light touches, just teasing passes of his fingertips until he can’t take it anymore and removes his hand. She pouts at him until he grabs the waistband of her basics, and then she nods at him to pull them off. When he does, and he gets his first glimpse of Hera Syndulla completely naked before him, he just about dies. 

He can’t help but kiss her then, his tongue tangling with hers as his fingers find her core again. His touches aren’t teasing anymore; he’s moving more insistently until his fingers find that one spot between her legs that makes her cry out his name and arch her back. He keeps drawing slow steady circles around her clit, coaxing tiny, breathy moans from her as he does. Her hands are tugging at his hair again, and he can feel her shaking. 

“How we doin’?”

When she doesn’t answer, Kanan kisses the tip of her nose. “Specter One to Specter Two. You read me? You still okay?” 

Her eyes open, and there’s a fierce spark in them that he usually only sees when she’s flying. “Don’t you dare stop.”

He laughs against her mouth, then doubles his efforts, his light touches growing harder and faster as she whimpers his name over and over again in a high-pitched, needy whine. That voice is _everything–_ it magnetized him to her the moment they met and he wants to hear these sounds every day for the rest of his life. 

Kanan slips one finger inside of her slowly, and a moment later Hera goes rigid all over, her eyes screwed shut as a shudder runs through her whole body. He can _feel_ it as she comes, his name on her lips and her ripples of pleasure touching his senses as her aura in the Force burns white-hot for a single moment. It stops him in his tracks, and all he can do is stare. She bucks her hips against him as she rides it out, and soon he slips a second finger inside her as he feels the familiar tingle of anticipation that runs down right to where he aches for her. When she settles, breathing hard and staring up at him with wide eyes, he waits a moment, then curls both his fingers experimentally, earning a strangled _hah_ from her as he does. 

“Good?” He knows he should probably stop asking and just _go with it,_ be in the moment, but he can’t help it. 

Hera nods, then laughs as she mirrors his thoughts exactly. “Perfect. But you really need to stop asking me that, love.” 

_Love._ Love. That’s new. She’s never called him that before, and his heart _soars_ when he hears it. It’s suddenly his favorite word, and he’s so busy repeating it over and over again in his head that he somehow misses Hera kissing him again.

But he’s not finished yet. There’s one more thing he wants to do for her, and he breaks away from her lips after only a moment to make his way down her body again. She lifts her head to watch him, and he meets her eyes as his tongue swirls around her navel. She blushes when she realizes his intentions, and he moves further down until his mouth finds her inner thigh and he scrapes his teeth against the skin there. He starts shortly above her knee, kissing higher and higher until his mouth is hovering over her core and he licks a long stripe over the flesh between her legs. 

“ _Kanan!?”_ He can hear the surprise in Hera’s voice, along with a barely-there hint of alarm, and he reaches up to twine his fingers with hers. He pulls back a moment to look her in the eye, waiting a minute until she moves her other hand to the back of his head and slowly guides him where she wants him. Then he goes back to work, lips and tongue moving against her slit as she moans again. 

He takes it slow, paying attention to the sounds she makes. He’s gotten good at reading her body by now, and soon she’s writhing underneath him again. He squeezes her hand every so often as his tongue flicks her clit, but he can feel her emotions sending him signals that she probably doesn’t even know she’s giving. They’re tiny pulses, of _more, yes, like that, not there, but_ there _, that’s better_ that he can read like a book, and it isn’t long before he feels Hera tense up as she comes again. 

He moves back up her body, grinning like he just won a truly _excellent_ hand of sabacc, and she giggles when she sees it. It’s not her usual laugh; it’s something new and intimate that Kanan is utterly thrilled to hear. For a few moments they’re both still, laughing and watching each other as he lets her breathe.

Then Hera pushes him off her, flipping him onto his back before he can blink, and he’s momentarily stunned into silence. He comes back to reality when he sees her climb on top of him, his smile fading into a slack-jawed look of awe. She’s straddling him, and her core is so close to where he _desperately_ needs her, but she just bends down to kiss him again. He doesn’t mind, not really; he’s pretty sure kissing Hera is his favorite pastime in the world. He gets a hand on her lekku again, but soon she grabs his hand in her own and presses her lips against his palm in a motion that’s almost shy. Kanan finds it unbearably endearing. 

She grinds her hips against his once, twice, and Kanan is just about to stop her before this ends _much too quickly_ when she starts sliding down his chest. His brain short-circuits when she swirls her tongue around his navel in a move that mirrors his from before–always a quick study, that’s Hera–and he swallows when she settles further down. 

He can’t help the strangled cry that escapes him when she wraps her hand around his cock. It might be her name, it might be a prayer, it might not even be _Basic_ for all he knows. All he feels is a slow-burning pleasure that’s spreading like molten lava across his skin. Hera studies his face as she strokes him, experimenting with pressure and speed until he’s practically unravelling beneath her. He meets her eyes, and he can see that she’s making mental notes of what he likes the same way he did. It’s all he can do to hold on for the ride, squeezing her hand where it rests in his as the other fists in the bedsheets. 

Then her mouth is on him, and it’s sudden and new and _blinding_ in its intensity and he can’t help but scream her name as he looks down to watch her. He wants to _see_ , he has to see, because this is a scene straight out of his wildest dreams, a locked-away fantasy finally come to life. 

He watches her stroke him with her mouth, slow and steady as she gets used to the feeling. He gasps her name again when she swirls her tongue around him, his hips jerking up towards her. For a moment he’s worried, but she doesn’t seem to mind; it spurs her to move faster and he starts bucking his hips more and more as the pleasure threatens to overwhelm him. 

He lets her keep going until it’s too much, until he’s about to explode and he pulls her off of him suddenly. Hera looks like she’s going to say something, but he pulls her back up into a scorching kiss before she can, trying to say everything he’s feeling with his lips while he struggles to catch his breath. 

He breaks the kiss, leaning his forehead against hers. “You didn’t have to–”

“I know,” she says. “I wanted to. Only fair, right?”

He laughs. “Stars, you’re incredible, you know that?” He’s still breathing hard. He can’t believe she was ever worried about not being good enough for him; she’s already the best he’s ever had, and he hasn’t even been inside her yet. Because she’s Hera, she’s his captain and his partner and the best friend he’s ever had, and he trusts her more than he’s ever trusted anyone except his _Master_ . And she’s here and she’s happy and she trusts _him_ enough to let him into her bed, and he doesn’t think it can conceivably get any better than this.

Hera chuckles as he pecks her lips. “You’re only saying that so I don’t make you scrub the fresher tomorrow.” 

“Why, boss, I would _never_.” He pretends to be offended, laying a hand on his heart. Then he smiles. “I mean it. You’re brilliant, you really are. Brilliant and beautiful and badass.” 

She blushes again, and it’s one of the rare moments that he manages to stun Captain Hera Syndulla into silence. 

Then he pitches his voice lower, bringing his mouth _right_ up against her earcone. “And I _really_ want to fuck you, if you’ll have me.” There’s a slight shiver that runs through her as he says it, but he couples the statement with a small, reassuring swipe of his thumb against the back of her hand–a silent promise that they can still stop all of this if she asks. 

He feels her shudder again as she nods a yes. The surge of _want_ sings through him yet again, and he’s trembling all over as he reaches out his hand. He feels the small foil packet fly into his outstretched palm, and when he grins at Hera, she’s smiling too. “Show off,” she mutters. 

Kanan shrugs. “I’m not getting up right now.” 

He tears open the small package with his teeth and rolls the condom on, before crawling back on top of Hera and running his hands up and down her sides. He can’t feel anxiety or nerves coming from her, but the faint glimmer of apprehension is back in her eyes. 

He presses his lips to hers again, slow and tender as their fingers twine together. “Tell me if anything feels–if you wanna stop–if I–”

“I will,” she says, as one leg hitches over his back. 

He moves slowly, pushing inside her inch by agonizing inch. He doesn’t take his eyes off her as he goes, little by little until eventually he’s all the way inside and he can’t keep them from sliding shut. He keeps himself impossibly still, waiting for Hera’s signal to move–not that he could right now, even if he wanted to. She’s so tight around him that he’s worried he’s going to come as soon as he does, and he tries to catch his breath as he kisses her forehead. 

“Alright?” he whispers after a few moments. He tests the waters, jerking his hips just slightly, but stops as he hears her gasp. “Too much?” 

“No, yes, I–” He blinks as she opens her eyes. “ _Move,_ Kanan.” 

He grins from ear to ear as he starts rocking his hips, just slightly moving back and forth as she throws her head back against the pillows. She moans louder, right against his ear, before grabbing his earlobe between her teeth, and the shiver that runs through him almost snaps his leash. Then he tests the waters further, pulling slowly out before thrusting forward again. Still slow, but harder this time, hard enough to make her gasp with pleasure again as he senses the spike in her arousal mix with his own. He can’t help but toss his head back, letting out a moan of his own as he keeps going, faster and harder until the sensation’s so intense it feels like someone dumped a bucket of spice over his head.

Hera’s watching him again, pupils blown wide as he keeps moving. Her hands tangle in his hair, tugging his face back down to hers. She’s rocking up to meet him, experimentally rolling her hips and getting bolder when he moans her name into her neck. He squeezes her thigh where her leg is hitched over his hip, pushing it up towards her chest so he can go deeper. When he does, she jerks, letting out a strangled cry of his name as her back arches up off the mattress.

“Okay?” His voice comes out as a hoarse whisper, his hips still slowly rocking against hers.

“Don’t _stop,_ ” she moans, her eyes drifting closed again. He smirks, slowly going faster still until he’s snapping his hips wildly against hers. 

It’s almost unbearable, the way his stomach coils tighter and tighter as pleasure threatens to overwhelm him, but he’s only got eyes for Hera. She’s gasping under him, her head turning to the side as she rakes her nails down his back, and she’s _stunning_ , so breathtakingly alluring that it makes him falter for a moment. He still doesn’t know what he did to deserve this, why she thinks he’s worth half a damn, but he’s so unbelievably _happy_ that she does. She somehow decided that he’s good enough, that he’s _worthy_ of sharing this with her, and he makes a vow to himself right then and there that he’ll never make her regret it. 

Kanan’s hips are still moving as he trails a hand down between them, moving down her sweat-slicked skin to trace circles around her clit as his thrusts get faster. He knows she’s close; he can feel the waves of pleasure radiating from her, and it’s like he’s getting _drunk_ on them, on her body and her mind and her emotions mixing with his until he feels the waves spill over as she hits her peak. 

He fucks her through it, just a couple of slow, steady strokes until he has to stop to avoid following her over the edge embarrassingly soon. He’s still rock-hard inside of her, and he wants to come so badly it _hurts_ , but that part of him that lives in constant fear of letting her down wants to make sure she’s satisfied first. 

Hera’s staring at him again as she comes down, her chest rising and falling as she catches her breath. Kanan smiles at her, kissing her forehead as her hips twitch. He tries to ignore the way his arms are shaking as he holds himself up. “Ground to _Ghost._ How was that?” 

Hera laughs, that small giggle that’s still so new to him. “Why didn’t we do this _ages_ ago?” 

He didn’t ask her because he wanted an ego boost, but he can’t deny the small burst of pride blooming in his chest as he laughs.

“Alright. Hold tight, Specter Two.” 

Before she can ask what he’s planning, he flips them over so that Hera’s on top of him. She gasps as her hands come up to steady herself on his chest, and he twitches as she settles. He’s got his hands on her hips again, staring up at her and memorizing every inch of her bright green skin. After a minute, she ever-so slightly rocks her body. It’s just the faintest jerk of her hips, but he tenses all over as his grip on her tightens.

Hera traces the old blaster burn on his shoulder as she does it again, just a slight motion as she gets used to the new angle. There’s a matching scar above her left hip. He runs his thumb over it, his brow furrowed, but he’s suddenly distracted from asking her about it as she moves again–a little harder this time. Her eyes are bright, happy and eager as she keeps going, slowly building up speed and finding a rhythm that makes them both groan. He’s helpless underneath her, egging her on with tiny moans and breathing her name like a prayer as his eyes slide shut. 

When she picks up the pace even more, her whole body shaking as she sinks down onto him over and over, he brings a shaky hand up to her right lek. It breaks her composure as he gets a hand on it, stroking down from root to tip before tightening his grip around it just so. And that makes her _scream_ , so loudly that for a moment he’s afraid he hurt her, but she rides him faster and harder _still_ and her lips claim his in a kiss so forceful he forgets how to breathe again. 

He does it once more, squeezing her lek as his other hand moves down between her legs. And then she’s talking, in that voice that undid him from the beginning, mumbling nonsense against his lips. It’s a mix of _Kanan_ and _yes_ and _oh_ and _don’t_ _stop_ and _please_ that erases his every coherent thought, because the only thing he can think right now is that _Hera Syndulla is begging for him_. Then she even slips into _Ryl_ for a moment, and he has no idea what she’s saying as she fucks him senseless but it’s the most intoxicating thing he’s ever heard.

He flicks his thumb once, twice more against her core and then she _shatters_ above him, her wave of emotion and pleasure burning bright like molten rock and overloading his senses again. Her hips stutter against his as he takes over, thrusting up into her three more times before he comes hard, shaking with the force of it. 

They’re blissfully silent for a few moments. Hera is limp on top of him, her head on his chest as they both try to breathe normally again. He’s always liked this, the peaceful aftermath of pleasure before awkward practicality sets in. Hera kisses his collarbone softly as his hands slide across her back. They’re both sweaty and warm and he’s so drunk on her that he’s struggling to restart his brain as he pulls her closer. 

Eventually, practicality does set in; he reluctantly disentangles himself from Hera’s warm body and heads to the fresher to dispose of the condom. He cleans himself off and drinks some water. Then he grabs a cloth and a glass for Hera and makes his way back to her. 

She has the blanket pulled over her legs and stomach, her bare chest catching the light at just the right angle as she watches him. She smirks, like she’s enjoying the view, and there’s a moment where Kanan just stares at her with a dumbstruck look on his face. The most beautiful woman in the galaxy is staring at him, waiting for him to come to bed, and _sweet fucking_ _Force,_ he still cannot fathom how he ever got this lucky. 

He hands her the water and the cloth as he climbs back into bed, and suddenly he’s nervous again. He has so many questions– _are you okay, did I hurt you, do you regret it, are we going to do this again?_ –but he doesn’t ask them yet. She cleans herself up and sips at the water, giving him a pointed glare when she hands the cloth back to him and he flings it haphazardly across the room. He looks sheepishly back at her, before reaching out his hand and guiding the cloth to the small hamper in the corner. It’s probably cheating, to use the Force for mundane stuff like this, but he really doesn’t care. It’s still a heady feeling, even now, that he doesn’t have to hide what he is around her. When she reaches over him to set the water on the small shelf next to the bunk, she pecks his lips, and somehow that small gesture ignites his nerves even more.

There’s an awkward re-arranging of limbs that follows. It takes them a moment to coordinate a position that’s comfortable for both of them, where Hera’s lekku aren’t trapped under one of his arms and his leg isn’t falling asleep. Eventually, Hera’s head winds up resting against his chest, his arm around her back and one of her legs draped over his. His body is still thrumming with adrenaline and the residual aftershocks of pleasure, and it’s _nice,_ lying here with her like this. The air around them feels… charged; there’s an intimacy here that he’s not used to. He’s never stayed in bed with someone for longer than a few minutes after sex before now. 

Hera’s fingers are drawing patterns across his chest, and he captures her lips as they trace the scar on his shoulder again. Their mouths move in a slow dance, languid and carefree instead of frantic and intense. 

It’s a few minutes before Kanan pulls away. “You okay?” he murmurs.

“I’m better than okay,” she says. “How many times are you going to ask me that tonight?”

He shrugs. “As many times as it takes. I didn’t–I mean, you’re not–”

Hera shakes her head. “You didn’t hurt me. I’m _fine,_ Kanan.”

He smiles, kissing her forehead. “Good. I was–I wanted–” He’s stammering, struggling to get the words out, because he wants to ask her a million different things but he isn’t quite sure where to start. 

Hera laughs. “You speak Basic?”

“Was it everything you hoped for? Do you regret it?” 

He blurts out both questions before he can stop himself. They’ve been hovering at the edge of his mind since he climbed back into bed, and he cringes now that they’re out in the open. He’s always been bad at holding his tongue.

Hera just stares at him with those brilliant green eyes. “I don’t know what I hoped for, but I could never regret _that,”_ she laughs.

He lets out the breath he didn’t know he was holding, exhaling a sigh of relief as he tightens his arm around her to pull her closer. It’s like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders, because he can feel her joy _thrumming_ in time with the beating of her heart against his skin. The part of him that was terrified she would decide it was all too much, that she wasn’t into this after all and they should go back to just being professionals, finally settles down. 

She’s drawing patterns across his chest again when she says, “What about you?”

His brow furrows. “What about me?” 

“Do you regret it?”

He stares at her with wide eyes. She’s watching him intensely, and he almost laughs.“ _Stars,_ Hera, _never._ I’ve been waiting ages for this to happen.” 

She flushes dark green again, and it’s a color he’s very quickly come to love. “So it was okay?” she asks, the hope and apprehension clear in her voice.

“ _Okay?_ I’m still trying to get my brain to work normally. If that was just okay, I think _good_ would kill me.” 

He’s only half-joking, trying to make her laugh again even as he feels the truth of his words. And it works–she chuckles as her lips find his collarbone. “Noted. So.. what now?” Leave it to Hera to get right to business. It was one of the things he liked most about her. 

“Whatever you want,” he says. “We can keep doing this, or we can say we had fun and call it quits. But I’m _very_ much in favor of the former, if you’re asking my opinion.” 

Hera laughs again. “I am too. You’re proving very useful to have around, Jarrus.” 

He chuckles along with her. “I aim to please,” he mutters as he finds her lips again. It’s a lazy kiss, soft and light until he feels her stifle a yawn. He pulls away to see her eyelids drooping, and she shrugs. 

“I could really use a nap,” Hera says. 

“Same. You wore me out, Syndulla.” He pulls the blankets further over the two of them, keeping Hera tucked against his side. 

For a moment they’re silent. Kanan’s basking in the quiet, in the feeling of another warm body next to his. His heart’s still pounding, the knowledge that Hera wants to keep him in her bed for the conceivable future, wants to keep letting him in like this, keeping him awake. 

He thinks she’s fallen asleep, when suddenly she says, “We’ve got another 6 hours in hyperspace. Chopper can take the helm once he’s done with the diagnostic I made him run.” 

Kanan chuckles. “And here I was, thinking this was a random coincidence. You _planned_ this.” 

“Guilty. How many of those condoms did you buy?”

That gets a deeper laugh out of him. Hera Syndulla always surprises him, in all the best ways. “Enough. Thought you wanted to get some sleep?” 

“I do. But afterwards… we’ve got time.” She meets his eyes, and the sparkle in the green is dangerous.

Kanan blinks. “You expect me to sleep after _that?_ ”

“You’re going to need your strength,” Hera shrugs. 

“ _Stars,_ have I told you you’re perfect enough times today?”

Hera laughs again. “You could stand to mention it more.”

“I’ll mention it every damn day, if you want me to,” he says. He’s caught by surprise at how serious his voice is, but it’s the truth. He wants to shout it from the hull of the _Ghost_ , sometimes. 

Hera blushes again. “You’re sweet. But _sleep first,_ love.” 

_Love._ It’s still so new, and he’s trying to commit it to memory. “Fine, fine. But I’ll hold you to that promise, Specter Two.” 

“I’m counting on it.” 

He kisses her forehead one more time as they fall silent again. He’s trying to slow his racing heart as Hera’s breaths start to grow more even, but her emotions are still pouring from her in a way he’s never felt before. He’s always been able to sense her more clearly than anyone, but her feelings are usually so controlled that he can’t feel them perfectly. Now, though… now there’s nothing between them, no clothing or barriers or artifices to hide behind. She’s completely open, bare in both body and mind, and he’s almost overcome with the sheer _power_ of her feelings. Hera put her body and her _soul_ in his hands and trusted him to take care of her, and he doubles down on his promise to _never_ break that trust. 

But Hera’s gotten under _his_ skin too; she’s torn down every wall he built after the Jedi fell, brick by brick. She knows every dirty secret, every terrible truth about his past. About the Purge and his smuggling days, about Kasmir and being hunted down by clones, and about every backwater planet he landed on before she found him on Gorse. It’s overwhelming, being so close to someone like this, and it’s something he doesn’t think he’s ever felt in his life. He feels safer, _better_ with her than he has since he was fourteen, and he subtly tightens his arm around her at the thought.

He’s in an almost meditative state by now, breathing deeply in a slow cadence that he remembers from his temple days. He hasn’t meditated in ages, but he feels the Force strongly now with his mind and heart so open like this. It flows through him in waves as his eyes slide shut, quieting his mind and lulling him further towards sleep. 

The fifty-fifth time Hera kisses him, it’s a barely-there press of lips against his cheek, but he’s already fallen into a deep sleep with her body tucked snugly against his side.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is life!!!! Also, the thing about lekku being sensitive is something I've seen in a LOT of smut fics before now, so I just adapted it here. I didn't come up with it.


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